# 19 EXPAND GREEN AND OPEN SPACES AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES IN TANDEM WITH NEW DEVELOPMENT The role of Eglinton will change in the coming years, along with the intensity of activity and land uses. As more people and jobs move to the corridor, new green and open spaces, as well as community services and facilities, will need to be planned in tandem with new development and the LRT. WHY With more people living, working, shopping and travelling on Eglinton, there is an increased need for community services, facilities and public spaces to ensure a high quality of life. Facilities should be located to take advantage of proximity to the LRT to maximize accessibility. A range of open spaces is required both on Eglinton and within adjacent neighbourhoods. In this way, the intent of Greening extends beyond the street to create and support complete communities. 15.5 hectares approximate amount of potential public open space linked with new community services and facilities to be created in Focus Areas WHAT New or enhanced publicly accessible parks, parkettes and plazas have been identified within Focus Areas and should be integrated into the development of new buildings and at LRT stations New developments should be designed to provide green open spaces for building occupants and, where possible, to provide publicly accessible open spaces through forecourts, plazas or setbacks to expand sidewalks. Encourage integration of green technologies and green amenity spaces within new development (eg. green roofs, rain gardens, water and energy efficient appliances and fixtures, etc) LRT stations should provide well-designed public spaces that reflect their role as important community and civic hubs, with different types and sizes appropriate at different stations Amount and location of new community facilities and services should reflect and anticipate the projected population growth Where feasible, new Community Services and Facilities should be located to take advantage of proximity to the LRT Encourage new and existing public buildings (libraries, schools, police stations, etc) to reinforce the public realm through generous setbacks and landscaping, clear and accessible ground floor layouts, and pedestrian and cycling amenities/connections What We Heard: All Workshops: Participants identified the need for new community facilities and open spaces in all of the Focus Areas, to be implemented as intensification occurs. Participants also expressed a general desire for more green space overall and a strong desire for new green space to be publicly accessible. 118
Images depicting a variety of open spaces and community facilities that can be built in tandem with new development implementation Implement CS&F and parkland recommendations within Focus Areas and include in divisional budgets for subsequent years Require plazas/courtyards/forecourts/front & backyards through station development process and development approval process Require green amenity spaces, green roofs and other green infrastructure such as rain gardens as part of new development Encourage new development to achieve Tier 2 of the Toronto Green Development Standard Utilize site plan and approval processes to ensure that design and renovation of public buildings reinforce the public realm Implement plazas and pedestrian amenity setbacks identified in Streetscape Plan and PSOS Additional opportunities Encourage front setbacks with cantilevered overhang through redevelopment to create additional weather protected urban plazas and wider sidewalks Re-examine parkland dedication requirements for large areas like the Focus Areas Explore opportunities to green surface parking lots and encourage temporary community uses eg. community festivals, outdoor retail or food truck space Short-Term Action Items Design and build station plazas as part of station development Enact holding provisions on development in Focus Areas, contingent on provision of adequate CS&F and park space VOLUME 2: RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES 119
JANE # 20 BLACK CREEK ENCOURAGE STREET-RELATED RETAIL In segments of Eglinton where retail is required or encouraged, the ground floor of new buildings should provide space for street-related retail uses. KEELE Map showing Locations for Street-Related Retail Image of successful retail along Eglinton Avenue today CALEDONIA DUFFERIN WHY OAKWOOD EGLINTON WEST (ALLEN) The vibrancy we associate with many main street sections of Eglinton is directly related to the extent of ground floor retail that lines the streetedge. Street related shops, restaurants, cafes, and community facilities provide services that are essential to local neighbourhoods and encourage a pedestrian culture and social engagement that are the hallmarks of high quality urban life. BATHURST As pre-war, established main street areas of Eglinton are intensified and redeveloped, these retail services should be replaced and expanded. The preservation of on-street parking, potential expansion of public parking in rear lanes and below-grade garages associated with mid-rise development are also critical to retail viability (see Recommendation #5). The Crosstown LRT will provide 25 stations and stops that will be primarily accessed by pedestrians and cyclists. Increased pedestrian and cycling traffic, including new residents and workers occupying new buildings, will provide a much stronger market for street-related retail. CHAPLIN AVENUE YONGE MT PLEASANT In the post-war segments such as the Golden Mile, Eglinton will gradually transform to a more pedestrian oriented streetscape in response to the LRT and demand for new places to live and work. In contrast to the segments of Eglinton with underground LRT stations, the surface portion of the LRT from Brentcliffe to Kennedy Station is characterized by more frequent and closely spaced station stops. This will further encourage pedestrian and cycling travel to these local stops. Street related retail should be provided in these areas as a means of creating a safe and enjoyable pedestrian experience and a local culture that supports a high quality of life. BAYVIEW LAIRD 120
LESLIE WHAT DON MILLS FERRAND Areas where retail is required or permitted have been identified. Established Main Streets and Emerging Main Streets have also been identified, as the character of retail spaces will differ in these areas. Established Main Streets have a fine grain commercial character. Businesses in these areas should be supported, while new development should reflect the retail space characteristics that make these areas successful. These include narrow frontages (between 5-10 metres wide) - enough for a single door, a small display window and another door leading to apartments above. Narrow window space is used to catch attention of passers-by, while storage remains out of sight. The narrowness of the shops results in the fine grain of activity that keeps street life interesting. Stores are also deep (between 50-80 feet or 15-25 metres deep, and sometimes more), which allows for the typical elements, like display windows, cashier, goods, and storage, to be arranged in a linear fashion. In Emerging Main Streets, the floor to floor height of the ground floor of new buildings should be a minimum of 5 metres to accommodate viable retail uses The establishment of rear laneways is required to provide access, WYNFORD servicing and parking to these commercial spaces BERMONDSEY VICTORIA PARK PHARMACY LEBOVIC WARDEN In those segments where retail is not required at the base of buildings fronting onto Eglinton and it is instead used for residential purposes, the building should be set back a minimum of 3 metres from the sidewalk to allow for sufficient privacy separation and landscaping, and the minimum ground floor height should be 3.3 metres (floor-to-floor). BIRCHMOUNT Image of mid-rise development with retail on the ground floor IONVIEW KENNEDY RETAIL AREAS implementation Retail Required Retail Permitted What We Heard: All Workshops: Many participants expressed how much they value the street-related retail that currently exists, and would like to see it stay and even expand. In Focus Areas, many participants felt that new development should contain a mix of uses, often with retail on the ground floor and residential or office uses above. Ipsos Reid Survey: Strong desire among respondents to maintain spaces for small-scale mom and pop stores (76% of respondents). Encourage street-related retail in areas identified as Retail Permitted through the development application process Work with developers to encourage a variety of commercial space types and sizes to encourage a range of retail on Eglinton - with particular emphasis on spaces that are appropriate for small, independent businesses Develop guidelines for patio and boulevard related uses Short-Term Action Items Update zoning to require street related retail on the ground floor of new buildings identified as Retail Required and permit it in Retail Permitted areas VOLUME 2: RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES 121
JANE # 21 BLACK CREEK KEELE Map showing Character Areas and Existing Heritage Resources IMPLEMENT ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCE STANDARDS TO SUPPORT LOCAL CHARACTER AREAS & HERITAGE Performance Standards for new buildings in Character Areas and adjacent to heritage resources should guide a complementary built form that reflects the diversity found along Eglinton. 8 number of Character Areas with additional Performance Standards 9 buildings currently listed or designated as Heritage Resources fronting on Eglinton > 100 number of potential additional heritage resources to be studied further CALEDONIA DUFFERIN WHY OAKWOOD EGLINTON WEST (ALLEN) BATHURST The story of Eglinton Avenue can be told in part through the range of neighbourhood and building types and styles found along its length. Research on the evolution and development of Eglinton has led to the identification of a number of areas where unique groups of buildings create a special public realm experience and are a physical expression of the history of this important street. The special character of these areas should be reflected in new development, and new buildings should be designed to fit into their surrounding context. In addition, designated or listed heritage buildings should be protected, and neighbouring development should respect these important resources. Performance Standards can help to guide future development so that these Character Areas continue to express their unique identities. CHAPLIN AVENUE YONGE WHAT Character Areas have been grouped within two typologies Main Street Areas and Apartment Corridor Areas. Additional performance standards for Character Areas should address the following. General MT PLEASANT Building elements, such as character, façade design, orientation or signage, should be consistent with or sensitive to character of the area New buildings may be taller than adjacent buildings, but should incorporate elements of consistency with the existing character BAYVIEW LAIRD 122
LESLIE Image of Apartment Corridor Character Area near Birchmount Road and Kennedy Road DON MILLS FERRAND WYNFORD BERMONDSEY VICTORIA PARK PHARMACY Image of Apartment Corridor Character Area near Laird Drive LEBOVIC WARDEN BIRCHMOUNT IONVIEW KENNEDY CHARACTER AREAS implementation Designated or Listed Heritage Building What We Heard: Survey #4: Survey respondents indicated very strong support for implementing an Eglinton-specific built form pattern (64%) Additional Performance Standards to be applied during development approval process Potential heritage resources identified through EGLINTONconnects should be further investigated and brought forward by the Heritage Preservation Services Section of the City Planning Division Short-Term Action Items Adopt and disseminate Character Area performance standards Include required front/side setbacks, stepbacks and heights in updated Zoning By-Law VOLUME 2: RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES 123
Building Scale New mid-rise buildings next to heritage buildings should incorporate upper storey stepbacks and consistent floor-to-floor heights a/ Height and Stepbacks Main Street Character Areas: New mid-rise buildings should establish a strong streetwall of at least 2-3 storeys, depending on neighbours Main Street Character Areas: Require a 1.5 metre stepback above the second or third storey where neighbouring buildings are predominantly 2 or 3 storeys in height Apartment Corridor Character Areas: Front and Side stepbacks should be consistent with those of neighbouring buildings b/ Building Orientation Buildings in Main Street Character Areas should be oriented to Eglinton Avenue Buildings in Apartment Corridor Character Areas should be oriented consistently with other buildings in the area, but the main entrance should accessed off of Eglinton Avenue c/ Adjacency to Heritage Buildings Buildings immediately adjacent to a designated heritage building should adhere to Performance Standard 19 of the Mid-Rise Buildings Guidelines Where a mid-rise building is adjacent to a designated heritage building, provide a front and side stepback of at least 1.5 metres at second or third floor, depending on the height of the neighbouring buildings. This will help to limit visual impact on the streetscape, create a transition between built form of varying heights and provide appropriate separation between adjacent buildings. In Main Street Character Areas, a consistent rythm of narrow shopfronts should be maintained Vernacular a/ Cornice Line Cornices should define the horizontal demarcation of the streetwall, as well as the top of the first floor The façade of new mixed-use buildings should have a sign band cornice matching the height of its nearby heritage structures Main Street Character Areas: Roof cornice lines and floor lines should be compatible with neighbours b/ Glazing Mixed-Use Buildings: A minimum of 60% of the building frontage on the ground floor and at building base levels should be glazed to allow view of indoor uses and to create visual interest for pedestrians c/ Materials Choice of materials, especially for the streetwall height, should be similar to the ones characteristic of existing heritage or Character Area buildings, including brick, stone and wood All exterior building finishes should be durable, easy to maintain and reflect a high quality of workmanship Consistency in use of materials, glazing, floor heights and cornice lines help to maintain character d/ Floor Heights Floor heights of new mixed-use buildings should be consistent with the floor heights of adjacent buildings and should be demarcated using horizontal building elements. The consistency of scale and proportion contributes to a positive pedestrian experience. Main Street Character Areas: The ground floor minimum floor-tofloor height is 4.5 metres and residential or office uses above the ground floor should have a minimum floor-to-ceiling height of 2.75m The ground floor may be double-height (minimum 5 metres)to create larger retail spaces, but should read as two floors from the street through facade treatment and cornice lines e/ Front and Side Setbacks New buildings or changes to existing buildings should match the established front and side setback of adjacent buildings in the Character Area Side setbacks should be consistent between buildings and should take into account the relationship between adjoining properties, buildings and open spaces. Main Street Character Areas: Buildings should be built to the front and side property line wherever possible to ensure a continuous streetwall and maximum frontage Where designated heritage buildings have a wider front setback, this should be maintained by immediate neighbours Apartment Corridor Character Areas: A consistent front setback should be maintained, and side setbacks should be a minimum of 11 metres from the side property line 124
Retail Format in Main Street Character Areas a/ Size and Width of Retail Spaces Retail is required on the ground floor of buildings in Main Street Character Areas Existing retail spaces in these areas are generally 5-10 metres wide and 15-25 metres deep. New development should replicate this pattern, where possible. Retail spaces in new buildings should provide a similar rhythm of entrances and window space, and provide small retail spaces for independent businesses b/ Design of Entrances Building entrances should support retail uses and can be expressed and detailed in a variety of ways, including large entry awnings, canopies or double-height glazing Where appropriate, entrances should be located in a consistent manner with the existing articulation found on neighbouring buildings to help maintain a rhythm of openings, recesses, projections and vertical and horizontal demarcations c/ Signage The primary signage for the building should be located on the entablature (the horizontal band that separates the storefront windows from the upper façade) Signage should be designed to avoid negative impacts on the streetscape Existing buildings in a Character Area Examples of performance standards in Character Areas Street Elevation side property line 5.5m New Mid-Rise Building front property line Street Section New Mid-Rise Building 1.5m min. VOLUME 2: RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES 125